Practical Grammar 4
Verbs and VPs
Next, we want to associate verbs and VPs with reasonable f-structures. As with NPs, we do this in two steps:
a. We add appropriate features to the lexical entries of verbs, and b. we add the correct annotation to the VP-rules, so that each node in the VP tree gets the desired f-structure.
Features of verbs
Let us look at the following sentences:
(1) I am happy. (2) They are happy. (3) I was happy.
Exercise
In the previous unit, we formulated the following annotated c-structure rule for combining a D and an N into NP:
1. NP -> D N
2. {
3. ↑=↓1;
4. ↑=↓2;
5. }
Let us now turn to the rule that combines a V and an NP into a VP:
VP -> V NP;
Exercise 4
A. State which feature the constrast between (1) and (3) motivates.
B. What are the possible values of that feature?
State which feature the constrast between (1) and (3) motivates. What are the feature's possible values?
Check your answer
The feature is TENSE. Its possible values are pres, past, future.
B. What are the possible values of that feature?
♣ Add the following test sentences to your grammar and tell the program that they are ungrammatical:
(1) *John [disappeared the hospital].
(2) *Martha [stayed the hospital].
(3) *Fred [resides].
(4) *Joe [saw Fred John].
(5) *John [sent Martha to a check].
(6) *We [gave Fred].
♣ Parse each sentence.
♣ Does the grammar make the right prediction?
♣ If not, formulate in grammatical terms what the problem seems to be.
The PRED feature and valence
Valence is the representation of the knowledge speakers have about what other kinds of constituents a word needs to combine with. You will remember from traditional grammar the distinction between intransitive and transitive verbs. These are just names for those verbs, respectively, which do not need a direct object (i.e. the verb disappear) and those which do (like see).
(1)
John disappeared.
[PRED 'DISAPPEAR<SUBJ>']
(2)
The bottle broke.
[PRED 'BREAK<SUBJ>']
(3)
Joe saw Fred.
[PRED 'SEE<SUBJ,OBJ>']
(4)
Alice broke the bottle.
[PRED 'SEE<SUBJ,OBJ>']
(5)
John sent Martha a check.
[PRED 'SEE<SUBJ,OBJ,OBJ-TH>']
(6)
We gave Fred a wastebasket.
[PRED 'SEE<SUBJ,OBJ,OBJ-TH>']
| PER | 3 |
| NUM | sg |
| DEF | - |